How to Reduce Vibration, Noise in Crossbows

Perhaps you have already bought an high-end crossbow and you have “peace of mind” that you will never be bothered with other hassles and fusses again. Have you ever considered about the sound of your high-end crossbow? If you still hear the noise, you will need to work on that.

As taught when we were studying in school, a sound is produced by the vibration, as well as that the speed of sound varies. It is also learned the sound can travel very fast although it is much slower than the light.

The level of noise will depend on the crossbow you hold. Let’s say your crossbow is the powerful one. It can attain approximately 360 feet per second with a 370-grain crossbow arrow. If you are taking the horizontal direction, it will approach in 30 yards.

If you think that the noise is very annoying, you should consider few ways to reduce or get rid of the noise. One of the most recommended methods to do is to use heavier bolts. You may check the Tenpoint pro elite or Easton’s Full Metal Jacket Crossbow.

In case you are using crossbow for your hunting season, deer hunting is the perfect activity measurement whether your crossbow works well or not. Let’s say in 90 foot, you will shoot at a deer. It will take roughly 0.25 second for the bolt to reach the deer spot. Anything within that range will be hard to dodge if you are a sharpshooter. Well, That is the theory. But have you ever wondered why many hunters often miss at this range?

The reason is no other than the speed of sound. The sound produced when the crossbow firing travels 3 times faster than the actual shot bolt speed. That means the sound will reach the deer ears first before the bolt. That’s why even a little noise from your crossbow can make huge difference in hunting.

Now let’s take a look at the different point of view. The sound from your crossbow will reach at deer in roughly 0.08 second. That means the deer has about 0.17 second to dodge before the bolt reaches it. Although there is no scientific proof on deer’s reaction time, most of animals will have 0.17 second to respond.

That fact is enough to state that speed of sound will win over your bolt speed. Since there is no other way to deal with the outrun sound, it is important to consider about the decreasing sound produced by your crossbow. As mentioned before, sound is produced from vibration. To suppress the sound, you will need to work with the vibration matter.And we can agree to one conception that reducing vibration is the way to silence your crossbow. To do this, you can add dampeners in your crossbow. Dampeners placement can be a bit tricky depending on your crossbow type. However, it is recommended to add the dampeners to limbs, bolt-retention spring, and barrel. Some recent crossbow models come with additional dampeners ready to install. You may want to take a look at those models.

The dampeners can actually be added to quiver too. The silencers can be added into the string. If you are beginner, you may want to ask the retailer’s suggestion to install the silencers since each model may have slightly different procedure. The more you install the dampeners & silencers, the more chance you will reduce the sound or noise in your crossbow.

Source: TheFieldArcher

The other way to deal with the sound of crossbow is by using the heavier bolts. Heavier bolts will naturally decrease the vibration in the bolt, and definitely get rid of noise. However, you may be concerned about the speed of bolt.

There are some ways to silence your quiver. It is the best answer if you are looking for silent in the hunt. There are few things to silence your quiver.

The first thing is snaps and buckles. It is important to make sure that the snaps and buckles do not bounce around when you use your crossbow. It is a common understanding when metal hits metal. It will bring a lot of noise. Make sure that the buckles are fastened properly as well as the snaps.

The second thing you can do is to secure your quiver. Quiver is ideally secured in your back to restrict its movement. By limiting the aggressive movement of your quiver, you are also limiting the other components surrounding it so that it will decrease the sound.

The good quiver is the stable one. To ensure the stability, you need to tighten up the quiver strap over your shoulder. If you can’t do this alone, ask for help from your hunting friend.

You can also try side strap in which it is placed around your waist. This is traditional way to stable the quiver. However, it is one of the most effective ones.

Dual shoulder strap ensure that your body will hold the quiver so tightly so that you can limit the quiver movement at maximum possibility. It is also the most effective way your can try, if you are convenient with the dual shoulder strap.

Each crossbow has different shape of quiver. Depending on your quiver, you may want to maximize the capacity of your quiver. When you fully stock the quiver with your bolts, this will limit the empty space in which your bolts can bounce from side to side. And believe it, even a slight bounce will make such noise to deter your prey from your hunting area.

Crossbows are indeed loud if you don’t work on it. The silencers can help you to quiet your crossbow. These will certainly help. Depending on your crossbow models, you may want to pick the best silencers. These help to reduce vibration and shock, as well as extend the longevity of your crossbow.

Not all silencers make your crossbow to whisper level. But you can always work with the other things that I’ve mentioned above. All the changes you make in your crossbow can make a huge difference in the hunting field.

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